The majority of MPs voted against a proposal to require at least six months of consultation on the wording of the referendum question relating to the UK's membership of the EU.

The bill as introduced[1] included the text of the referendum question as:

"Do you think that the United Kingdom should be a member of the European Union?"

The amendment, which had it been accepted would omitted the wording of the question from the bill, and left it up to ministers to determine following consultation, was moved by MP Gareth Thomas. The official report, Hansard, records him as saying[2]:

I beg to move amendment 72[3], page 1, line 7, leave out subsection (4) and insert-

(4) Before making an order under subsection (3) the Secretary of State shall conduct a consultation lasting not less than six months on what question should appear on the ballot paper, and shall by order set out the question to be asked.’.

Clause 1 subsection 3 of the bill as introduced[1] included the text of the referendum question. Mr Thomas' rejected, amendment, proposed removing that and replacing it with a provision requiring at least six months of consultation on the wording of the referendum question.

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